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Hands-On: 7 Keys To Building a Better Web Service

2003-10-23

The secrets to a successful web services project arise from one key insight, says Kirby Turner, a Solution Developer with developer services and integration firm Avanade Inc. That is: A web service is simply "a programmable application logic accessed by using standard Internet protocols." In this article, Turner touches on seven keys to success, including using registries, setting security and even the vexing debate over how much XML hand-coding does a developer really need to know.

Financial services devs have been given some guidelines on how today's web services technology can -- or cannot -- be used for complex and sensitive B2B cash management system integration. Overall, the verdict from some of the most demanding financial firms in the world can be summed up as "OK in some places. Almost more places. Let's stick with it." See why BoA, JPMorgan Chase and others are so optimistic, and what they say still needs to be done.

The secrets to a successful web services project arise from one key insight, says Kirby Turner, a Solution Developer with developer services and integration firm Avanade Inc. That is: A web service is simply "a programmable application logic accessed by using standard Internet protocols." In this article, Turner touches on seven keys to success, including using registries, setting security and even the vexing debate over how much XML hand-coding does a developer really need to know.

Like many Java tools providers, Seagull is looking to lower the bar on the complexity of building web services -- especially when writing custom GUIs. Unlike many Java vendors, however, Seagull has a novel strategy: Release a drag-and-drop tools environment based on Microsoft's ASP.NET. See how Seagull says its visual ASP.NET tool will help developers -- even on the Java side -- speed the deployment and customization of their web services.

The absence of reliable end-to-end cross-platform management tools is a key problem plaguing deployment of web services across the enterprise. Help is on the way, as Covalent Technologies ships its unified Covalent Application Manager, which will help devs and operations managers map, measure, control and analyze web applications and events across multiple platforms: Java, Open Source and .NET.

Enterprise developers in the financial sector will find one legacy vendor is making it easier to build web services that connect to legacy applications. Misys' Midas straight-through processing system, used by more than 800 banks and financial institutions worldwide, has opened up the gates to back-end data, applications and workflow through support for XML, SOAP, Java and VB/ASP. See what's bankable for web services development in the new release.

As Wall Street proves to be an early adopter of Service-Oriented Architectures (SOAs), there are lessons that can be used by many developers. Gunjan Samtani tells IDN the key to successful web services is in maximizing assets and understanding data flow.

As web services have matured, many developers are getting eager to tap into their traditional "glass house" legacy systems. To take that step, however, Java and C# developers will need approvals from top line managers. An exec from Attachmate, provider of legacy emulation and integration, provides IDN with 10 good tips for winning them over.

The outbreak in Asia of a rapidly spreading computer worm is the most aggressive assault on the Internet backbone since July 2001's "Code Red." The attack comes just as an international user group has issued its Top 10 Watchlist for how to keep web-based applications secure. Get the latest on the 'Slammer' and an in-depth summary on how to make sure your web apps are secure.

As 2003 proceeds, the trick for developers will be to tell the difference between myth and reality. In this special column for IDN from Bob Sutor, director of IBM's Web Services Strategy, Bob gives developers a perspective on how standards work being conducted by IBM, Microsoft, and others is designed to empower -- not confuse -- developers. Bob also helps de-FUD the topic of "What can be done now?"

One of Canada's leading banks has found SOAP is not just a protocol, but provides an important tool for leveraging legacy assets in an Internet world. See how ScotiaBank used SOAP to enable their small staff to quickly "integrate" more than 1500 customer Win32/Win2000 clients with a new high-speed Internet system for customers -- without needing to rewrite any custom client software.

Developers, at least on the other side of the Atlantic, are aggressive in their use of web services technologies. Borland, in a survey released at its BorCon 2002 in London, found more than half of respondents were looking at web services to help with B2B, B2C, supply chain and remote employee access.